作者：from Ohana Foundation： 　　Spring Festival at home and abroad 　　（Words: about 360; Time: 6 mins） 　　The Chinese Spring Festival is one of the oldest and most widely celebrated festivals in the world. In China, it is a 5,000-year-old traditional festival and it also takes place in other countries. 　　In Washington, D.C., the streets are filled with dancers, musicians, lion and dragon dances and the city is taken over by an attractive display of color with thousands of firecrackers (鞭炮) being let off. All the local Chinese restaurants serve special menus and everyone in the city enjoys the food. 　　One of the largest celebrations outside Asia is in San Francisco. The very first event was in 1862 in the days of the Gold Rush. Today there is a Chinese New Year Flower Fair, a Chinatown Community Street Fair and a grand Chinese New Year Parade through the streets. The newly crowned Miss Chinatown USA appears and a 200 feet long Golden Dragon comes all the way from China. Its head is six feet long and the body, covered in glittering (闪闪发光的) lights and silver scales (鳞片), is carried by a team of over 100 people. More than 600,000 firecrackers celebrate the finale of the Golden Dragon. 　　In China, preparations start at least a month before the Spring Festival when people buy presents, food and clothing for the 15-day celebrations. Everybody cleans up their houses to sweep away evil spirits. Doors and windows are decorated with paper cuts celebrating happiness, wealth and good health. 　　The eve of the Festival is the most exciting time. Dinner is a feast (盛宴) of seafood and dumplings and everyone wears red for good luck and prosperity during the coming year. No one wears black and white as this is connected with mourning. People stay up all night playing cards and at midnight beautiful firework displays take place all over China. 　　On the day itself there is the tradition of giving Hong Bao. Married couples give children and unmarried adults small red envelopes with money inside. Families meet among themselves and also visit neighbors saying “let bygones be bygones” so that all unhappiness is forgotten. The Festival of Lanterns marks the end of the Chinese New Year with singing, dancing and lantern shows. 　　Help: 　　finale: n. the last part of a piece of music or a drama, etc. 　　prosperity: n. state of being successful or rich; good fortune 　　（from Ohana Foundation：www.ohanachina.com）